This page is devoted to my Blackstone Family Genealogy I plan to post all the Blackstone family trees I have, as time permits.

I welcome all information and discussions concerning this family of Blackstone's. I have had lots of help in my endeavors. I will give credits as I go. I will add any credits I miss, if notified. It is not possible to put all the information I have here, but I will post whatever space and time allows.

James Hugo Blackstone was born March 07,1846, in Birmingham, Alabama and died March 15, 1921, in Upshur County, Texas. He is buried in the Shady Grove Cemetery in western Upshur County, Texas.

At age 17, James Hugo joined the Confederate Army and served until the close of the Civil War. In 1866, he moved with his young bride of 16, Mary Williamson Stringer, to Upshur County, in Texas. They settled on a tract of 100 acres, west of the Stringer homeplace, in what was then known as the Paint Rock Community.

(Nancy died as an infant and is buried in the Shady Grove Cemetery, Upshur County, Texas)

After Mary's death, James Hugo remarried on December 17, 1882, to a widow named Millie Rouse. She helped raise his children and was the only mother the younger children remembered. She had two small sons by a former marriage. Their names were John Louis Rouse b. September 17, 1877 and Rufus Milton Rouse b. May 9, 1879. These two boys were 3 and 5 years of age when James Hugo married their mother. James Hugo thought of them as his children. James Hugo and Millie had six children:

Lizzie Emma Blackstone b. January 29, 1884

Martin Adolphus Blackstone b. September 27, 1885

Harvey Andrew Blackstone b. August 4, 1887

Leona Louisa Blackstone b. june 29, 1891

Sam Oscar Blackstone b. September 28, 1893

Jesse Leslie Blackstone b. February 15, 1896

After Millie's death, James Hugo married a third time to his first wife's cousin, Matilda Whitaker. He married her in 1901. She died childless in 1914, and is buried in Hughes Springs, Texas.

James Hugo raised Mary Baird. No one knows why. She was believed to be a relative.Mary Baird married James Stringer.

James Hugo's father was Commodore Anson Blackstone, and his mother was Nancy Candler.

James Hugo Blackstone and Mary Stringer were my great grandparents on my father's side.

My father was the second son born to John Henry Alvin Blackstone and Charlotte Hulda Carroll.

They lived most of their married life between the small communities of Latch and Shady Grove.

Many years before my first ancestors settled in the northeast Texas area, Caddo Indians called this their home. They made their homes along the small creeks, usually near a good spring. They were great farmers and hunters, but not great warriors. In the early 1820's , the Cherokee Indians migrated to this part Texas from Alabama and Georgia. They had learned to use firearms, so they quickly took over the Caddo's hunting grounds. By the time the white man had migrated to this area, not many Caddos were left. Many Caddo artifacts have been found all over north east Texas.

Sometime between 1803 and 1819, when the territory north and west of the Sabine River was considered "Neutral Ground" , this part of Texas was settled by outlaws, freebooters, and many other undesirable characters. While there is no record of them living in Upshur County, there were records of them living in the area east of Upshur. In 1830, some people had started a settlement called Old Fort Crawford, near what is now known as Harleton. A band of Cherokee Indians, from the Indian Rock area, attacked the fort and killed several whites. After scalping many of the white men, this band of Cherokees decided to take two of the white women to Indian Rock. However, soon after they arrived back at Indian Rock, a large number of white men charged their camp.

A running battle started and moved westward through what is now Gilmer, and then up the Cherokee Trace. This Indian battle and the massacre of Fort Crawford, was one of the main reasons that President Lamar sent the army to forcibly remove the Indians from this area.

This opened up what was later to become Upshur County to the settlers that were arriving here. When the first settlers arrived here, they found a well defined road that had been created by the Caddos. It started at Caddo Lake and continued through what was then called Murry League (Ore City) and continued through Coffeeville, Lafayette, and crossed the Cherokee Trace near Newsom in Camp County.

According to most records, John Cotton was the first white settler in Upshur County. He settled north of what is now called Bettie, on Lilly Creek. He probably settled on or near what is now called Cherokee Trace. This was about 1835. Isaac Moody is believed to have been the second settler to arrive in this county. He settled near what is now called West Mountain in about 1838. It was about this time, O.T. Boulware opened an Indian Trading Post on the John Cotton Farm, and there were Indians still living in this county. By a treaty negoiated by Sam Houston, this county was supposed to be their land. There were few people living in Upshur County in 1839. It was then the Indians were removed from this area. It was settled almost overnight.

Settlers arrived by wagons drawn by mules and oxen. The wagon trains usually consisted of several families. They travelled together as protection. There were stopping stations along the route. Many of the early settler brought their slaves with them. There was plenty of lumber for building log cabins, barns, and fences. They would help each other build their log cabins,and then they would start clearing for a school and church combination, which they usually had finished within the first year. Soon to follow, would be a gristmill and a gin.

Upshur County was organized on July 13, 1846. It was a large county and was composed of what is now Upshur, Camp, and Gregg Counties.

Elder John Martin Blackstone was an exceptional man, not only a preacher of the Gospel, but a leader of men. He migrated to Crawford County, Georgia in 1822. His good sense, quick perception, honesty, and integrity soon won him the confidence and esteem of all who knew him. This placed him in the front rank as a representative of his county. At the first election held in this county for representatives to the Legislature or General Assembly, he was chosen as their Senator. He was re-elected annually for nine consecutive years.

While Elder Blackstone was faithful to the best interest of the State and County, he was faithful to his obligation as the Minister of the Gospel. He helped organize several churches, to wit: Mt. Paran, Salem, Mt. Carmel, Providence, Abilene, and Union; also, Old Pisgah (now known as Calvary). He assisted in the organization of the Echeconnee Association, of the Primitive Baptist Church. He served as the first moderator for the association at Mt. Paran in 1825.

John Martin Blackstone was born January 16, 1781, in Natural Bridge Station, Virginia.

He married Catherine Harvey on April 11, 1799.

They had ten children:

Eliza Blackstone

Icy Snow Blackstone

James Harvey Blackstone

Thomas Walker Blackstone

Gazaway Davis Blackstone

Sarah Porter Blackstone

Martha Bine Blackstone

Commodore Anson Blackstone

Catherine Hale Blackstone

Louisa M. Blackstone

John M. Blackstone died June 28, 1859.

In 1925, Salem Church erected a monument in memory of Elder Blackstone and his wife. Present day researchers are led to believe that he and his wife are buried in the Salem cemetery. The truth is that he and his wife are buried in unmarked graves in the Mt. Paran Cemetery.

John M. and Catherine's son, Commodore Anson, migrated to northeast Texas. Commodore Anson was my great great grandfather. Commodore Anson lived near Shady Grove, Texas shortly after his arrival in Texas.

It is commonly believed, among historians, that all Blackstones originally came from England and share a common ancestry. Therefore, information about William Blackstone, who is commonly believed to be the first Blackstone to arrive in America, is included with all other information I have been able to find. So far, I have not been able to prove the connection between him and my ancestry. I do believe he is a part of my ancestry through Winifred Zachary. While Winifred married a Blackstone, her great grandmother was a Blackstone.

With very few exceptions, the Blackstones of America descended from either 1595-Reverend William Blackstone, the first white settler of Boston, Mass., who later moved into the Rhode Island area, becoming the first settler there as well. OR 1591- Nathaniel Blackstone, who settled in Maryland in in 1623, and became the owner of a large island in the Potomac River, called Blackstone Island OR 1766 Captain William Blackstone who settled in Pownal, Maine in 1790. All of these lines are still extanding to this day. ~ Written by Nathaniel Blackstone Homestead, Florida May 26, 1975 ~

William Blackstone was one of Boston's first white settlers. He was better known as Rev Blackstone. At one time, he had claimed all of the Boston Peninsula. He was born in England in 1595 and married Sarah Stevenson in 1659. ( According to Cushman's History). His son, John Blackstone, was born about 1661 in Rhode Island. John became a ship owner. He spelled his name Blaxton. His son, known as Captain John, resumed the correct spelling of Blackstone. Captain John Blackstone eventually amassed a fortune in ship building. Captain John had four children: Abigail, Stephen, Elizabeth, and John Jr..

John Jr. had eight children:

Ann b. October 14, 1759

John b. 1763 d. 1841

Timothy b. 1765 d. 1854

Abigail ?

Edward b. 1770

Stephen ?

Ebenezer b.1775 d. 1850

Ralph b. 1778

Stephen's family migrated to the midwest. Little is known of John's family, except that he had two sons living in the Bradford area in the mid 1800's. Timothy's son, Timothy B., became a railroad president in Illinois. Edward, Ebenezer, and Ralph had no children.

Elizabeth Hannah Blackstone, married John Zachary and had rhe following children:

Peter Zachary b. 1725

James Zachary b. 1730 in Culpepper County, Va..d. 1790 Richmond County, Georgia

James Zachary married Elizabeth Rucker and had the following children:

John Zachary b. 1748

William Zachary b. 1749

Winifred Zachary b. 1746

Betty Zachary b. 1754

Martha Zachary b. 1756

Mary Zachary b. 1758

James Zachary b. 1762

Pelithal Zachary b. 1762

Winifred Zachary married (?) (maybe John, who was called Pope) Blackstone and had several children, one of which was John M. Blackstone, of Crawford County, Georgia. She was 22 years old when she married John. He died before 1790, and she married Jonathan Payne.

In 1790, Winifred was granted 200 acres of land on Spirit Creek, Richmond County, Ga. (BK VVV,:157)

She was a witness when her family sold land November 21, 1792. in Columbia County. The tax list for Richmond

in 1818 shows Argyle Blackstone was responsible for the tax of Winifred Payne on 250 acres of land. It is likely that Jonathan was deceased by this time. This Argyle was related to Winifred.

The following information was copied from The Gospel Messenger, dated May, 1887.

Elder John M. Blackstone was born in Virginia in 1780 on what was called Old Christmas Day.Of several children, he was the youngest. He never saw his father, who fell in battle near the close of the Revolutionary War. From what this writer has heard him say, he was a rude little boy. His mother could not manage him very well, so she bonded him out to a relative. As he was considered a leader in mischief among the boys, he received many a hard cuff and knock for his unruly conduct. He never attended school but about three weeks in his entire life. By some means unknown to this writer,after growing up, he went to St. Augustine, Florida, and afterwards to Brunswick, Ga., and for a time was in the military service at St. Mary's. The next account we have of him, he was in Augusta, Ga., where he became acquainted with and married Catherine Harvey, about the year 1799. at that time, he was received into the church among the Baptists. Soon after he joined the church, his mind became weighted with preaching.

The bond for John M.'s marriage to Catherine Harvey was signed by Argyle Blackstone for 200 pounds of sterling.

His birthdate was entered in the Primitive or Old School Bapt:36

Commodore Anson Blackstone

James Hugo and Millie Rouse Blackstone's

children with James Hugo

James Hugo Blackstone

Stephen Blackstone William Blackstone Sam (Y.L.) Blackstone

Zachary Line

John Zachary was born about 1678 , probably in England. He died in the spring of 1756 in Caroline County, VA.. He married (1) Eleanor (unknown) (2) Elizabeth Hannah Blackstone Elizabeth Hannah Blackstone was the daughter of Argyle Blackstone and Elizabeth Armstrong.

On May 8,1699, Captain Richard Willis of Middlesex County, Va., proved the importation of John Zachary and seventeen other persons. From these records, we know John Zachary was in Virginia by 1699, and possibly before. On Jan.7, 1704, Thomas Tinsley and his wife, Sarah (Jackson) sold to John Zachary 150 acres of land for 3,750 pounds of tobacco. This deed was witnessed by J. Hardee and Robert cook. Later, John renounced this land. The Tinsleys were neighbors of John Zachary.

In Middlesex County, John and Eleanor Zachary were in Christ Church Parish. Two of their sons were mentioned in the church records. It took about seven and one half years to work off an indenture. this may very well be why he isn't listed in the 1704 tax records.

Elizabeth Hannah Zachary was named in the will of her father, Argyle Blackstone, signed August 28, 1722, in Esses County.Her only full sister, Anne Blackstone, was named in the will, along with their half siblings. On October 15, 1723, John and Elizabeth Zachary with James and Anne Stodgill, of Saint Mary's Parish, Essex County, sold four hundred acres of land to John Bates. The deed shows this land had been inherited by Elizabeth Hannah and Anne Blackstone, from their grandfather, Robert Armstrong....(Rec Copy V17:226)

John Zachary made his will naming Elizabeth Zachary as the executrix. The will was burned with the other court records during the War. There is little left to definitely link John Zachary and his two wives with the children that are definitely his. However, the sons are closely linked to one another by very close association in the same areas and parishes, by buying and selling land to one another, by witnessing records for one another, and by the names of their children.

Christ Church records named a John Zachary b. Jan. 7, 1704/1705; Thomas Zachary b. about 1710; David Zachary b April, 1714. It is not knwn when Eleanor died, so it is not possible to be exact on the date of John Zachary's marriage to Elizabeth Hannah Blackstone. They marred after the birth (1714) of David Zachary (John's son by Eleanor), and before Elizabeth's father made his will in 1722.

One of the sons of Elizabeth and John Zachary is believed to be James Zachary b. about 1719. Other sons are believed to be Bartholemew and Peter Zachary.

James Zachary had a daughter named Winifred Zachary, who married a Blackstone, by whom she gave birth to several children. Among these were John M. Blackstone

Some of Commodore Anson and Nancy Candler Blackstone's sons in their later years.

Most of these records were taken from family records inscribed in the old family Bible of Commodore Anson Blackstone. they were furnished by Lula Lockhart and Bertie Wilburg for the Cousins by the Dozens Book.

James Thomas Blackstone

Author's notes:

I vaguely remember Uncle Tommy, as Dad always called him. I remember him as being a proud man,and a very fancy dresser. According to my mother, Mrs. Annie Blackstone, he would come to visit Granny and Grand-daddy Blackstone (Uncle Alb and Aunt Lottie, as they were known to most) about twice a year. He spent several days at a time. Only once, does Mother remember him bringing any family, and that was his youngest son.

My maternal grandmother, Kathryn Blackstone Lane, was from Weber Falls, OK, which is on the Arkansas River. She was born around 1885 and the youngest of five children. There was Josephine, Napoleon (Nip), Peach, George and Kathryn. Their family owned a ranch and the general store. Their father was a Robert Blackstone and they had considerable Cherokee blood. As a result, they were given Indian land. The mother died right after my grandmother was born. Robert died about 10 years later. Their children were put in Indian Seminary school, where Nip was the roommate with Will Rogers. They became good friends. The family holdings were sold for $400,000. This was the largest sale that Oklahoma had ever had, at that time. Robert had a partner, so I guess our family got about half of that. A few years later, Josephine, who had married Lou Slaughter, and Nip went to Texas and bought a ranch.

In my records, I have found a Robert E. Blackstone, born October 1,1843 in Mayesville, Benton, Arkansas. He died on February 2, 1897.

(1) He first married Ann Fish. they had one child, Robert W. Blackstone